Nemesia plant named ‘Wesnepa’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Nemesia  plant named ‘Wesnepa’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounded growth habit; freely branching and flowering plant habit; durable dark green-colored leaves; creamy white-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Nemesia hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Wesnepa’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia, botanically known as Nemesia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Wesnepa’.

The new Nemesia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Nemesia cultivars with uniform plant habit and attractive flower coloration.

The new Nemesia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2004 in Südlohn, Germany of a proprietary selection of Nemesia hybrida identified as code number 04P009, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Nemesia hybrida identified as code number 04P180, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Nemesia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany in 2005.

Asexual reproduction of the new Nemesia by vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany since 2005, has shown that the unique features of this new Nemesia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Wesnepa has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature, daylength and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Wesnepa’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Wesnepa’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounded growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching and flowering plant habit.     -   3. Durable dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Creamy white-colored flowers.     -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Nemesia differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Nemesia are more upright than and not as         outwardly spreading as plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Nemesia have longer lateral branches than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Nemesia have larger leaves than plants of         the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Nemesia differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Nemesia are shorter than plants of the male         parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Nemesia have larger leaves than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Nemesia have larger and more open flowers         than plants of the male parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Nemesia and the male parent selection         differ in flower color as plants of the male parent selection         have white-colored flowers with light blue-colored margins.

Plants of the new Nemesia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Intraibana, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,542. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany, plants of the new Nemesia differed from plants of the cultivar Intraibana in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Nemesia were more upright than and not as         outwardly spreading as plants of the cultivar Intraibana.     -   2. Plants of the new Nemesia had larger and darker green-colored         leaves than plants of the cultivar Intraibana.     -   3. Plants of the new Nemesia had larger flowers than plants of         the cultivar Intraibana.     -   4. Plants of the new Nemesia and the cultivar Intraibana         differed in flower color as plants of the cultivar Intraibana         had yellow-colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Nemesia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Nemesia. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Wesnepa’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Südlohn, Germany, under commercial practice during the summer in a glass-covered greenhouse with day temperatures ranging from 20° C. to 25° C., night temperatures ranging from 16° C. to 18° C. and light levels ranging from 3,000 lux to 50,000 lux. Rooted young plants were grown for about 20 weeks when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Nemesia hybrida cultivar Wesnepa. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Nemesia             hybrida identified as code number 04P009, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Nemesia             hybrida identified as code number 04P180, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 to 14 days at             temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 16 to 18 days at             temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 21 to 24             days at temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 24 to 26             days at temperatures of 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; color, close to 158A.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense to dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Compact, upright and uniformly             mounded growth habit; plants roughly spherical. Freely             branching with two lateral branches potentially forming at             every node. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 15 cm to 20 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 37 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 16 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 4.1 cm.         -   Strength.—Strong; flexible.         -   Aspect.—Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—146A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 6.8 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.1 cm.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Serrate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate; arcuate.         -   Color.—Developing foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing             foliage, lower surface: 146B. Fully expanded foliage, upper             surface: 147A; venation, 147A. Fully expanded foliage, lower             surface: 147B to 147C; venation, close to 147C to 147D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and habit.—Zygomorphic solitary flowers             arranged on terminal racemes; flowering acropetally towards             the apex. Flowers bilabiate. Flowers face mostly outwardly.             Flowers not persistent. Freely flowering habit with about 21             to 31 flowers and flower buds per raceme.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—In Germany, plants flower from             spring to fall; flowering continuous during this period.             Flowers last about five to seven days on the plant.         -   Flower diameter.—About 2.95 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 2.3 cm.         -   Throat diameter.—About 9 mm.         -   Tube length.—About 1 cm.         -   Tube diameter, at base of flower.—About 3.3 mm.         -   Flower buds.—Shape: Ovoid. Length: About 1.1 cm. Diameter:             About 6.3 mm. Color: Towards the base, 18A to 18C; towards             the apex, 4D; venation, N79C.         -   Petals.—Arrangement: Five modified petals; four upper petals             fused forming an upright lobed and arched banner lip; lower             petal modified into a larger lip with convex oval             protuberance which serves as a pollinator nectar guide and             landing platform. Shape: Upper lip: Oblong. Lower lip:             Spatulate. Apex: Upper lip: Rounded. Lower lip: Emarginate.             Margin: Upper lip: Entire. Lower lip: Slightly undulate.             Length: Upper lip: About 1.3 cm. Lower lip: About 1.5 cm.             Width: Upper lip: About 6 mm. Lower lip: About 2.4 cm.             Texture, upper and lower lips, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and lower lips lobes: When             opening, upper surface: Upper lip, 10D; lower lip, 10C to             10D; protuberance, 17A; nectar guides, 79A. When opening,             lower surface: 4D; venation, N79C. Fully opened, upper             surface: Upper petals, between 4D and 10B; lower petal,             between 4D and 10A to 10C; protuberance, 17A; nectar guides,             N92B. Color becoming closer to 4D with development. Fully             opened, lower surface: 4D; venation, between 79C and N79C.             Color, tube: Upper lip, 4D; lower lip, 16D; venation, N79C.             Color, throat: Upper lip, 155D; lower lip, N25B; venation,             N79B.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement: Calyx star-shaped with five sepals             fused at the base. Shape: Acicular. Apex: Acute. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 6.6 mm. Width: About 1.3 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: 146A to 146B.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm.             Strength: Moderately strong; flexible. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: 146B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Four per             flower. Filament length: About 3.2 mm. Filament color: Close             to 155D. Anther shape: Reniform. Anther length: About             1.6 mm. Anther diameter: About 1 mm. Anther color: 11A.             Pollen amount: Abundant. Pollen color: 11B. Pistils:             Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 3 mm. Style             length: Less than 1 mm. Style color: 144A to 144B. Stigma             shape: Ovate. Stigma color: 145A. Ovary color: 144A to 144B.             Seed/fruit: Seed and fruit development have not been             observed on plants of the new Nemesia. -   Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Nemesia have not been     observed to be resistant to pests and pathogens common to Nemesia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Nemesia have been observed to     tolerate wind and rain and have good garden performance. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Nemesia have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct Nemesia plant named ‘Wesnepa’ as illustrated and described. 